As the sport of MMA grows, so too does its talent pool. Every year, it seems more and more quality fighters enter the cage, looking to dethrone MMA’s current stars and pave the way for the next generation.
Never has there ever been this many fighters with so much potential, and that can only be a good thing for the fans.
It seems like just yesterday that fighters such as Cain Velasquez, Jon Jones and Frankie Edgar were fighting their way up the ranks of their respective divisions, and yet before we knew it they had reached the top and had become the new faces of MMA.
Things can change unbelievably fast, and just when you think the current crop of champions and top contenders are unbeatable, a new wave of fighters comes along and unseats them.
So, which of today’s current fighters make up the next wave?
Here are seven fighters (one from each division) who have a chance to replace MMA’s current stars and take up the mantle as the best in the sport.